English

Weak-winner phase synchronization: A curious case of weak interactions

Chaotic Dynamics 2021-06-02 v3

Abstract

We report the observation of a novel and non-trivial synchronization state in a system consisting of three oscillators coupled in a linear chain. For certain ranges of coupling strength the weakly coupled oscillator pair exhibits phase synchronization while the strongly coupled oscillator pair does not. This intriguing "weak-winner" synchronization phenomenon can be explained by the interplay between non-isochronicity and natural frequency of the oscillator, as coupling strength is varied. Further, we present sufficient conditions under which the weak-winner phase synchronization can occur for limit cycle as well as chaotic oscillators. Employing model system from ecology as well as a paradigmatic model from physics, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is a generic feature for a large class of coupled oscillator systems. The realization of this peculiar yet quite generic weak-winner dynamics can have far reaching consequences in a wide range of scientific disciplines that deal with the phenomenon of phase synchronization. Our results also highlight the role of non-isochronicity (shear) as a fundamental feature of an oscillator in shaping the emergent dynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1812.02642,
  title  = {Weak-winner phase synchronization: A curious case of weak interactions},
  author = {Anshul Choudhary and Arindam Saha and Samuel Krueger and Christian Finke and Epaminondas Rosa, and Jan A. Freund and Ulrike Feudel},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1812.02642},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

12 pages, 11 figures, improved version of the earlier version, added a new schematic summarizing the main results

R2 v1 2026-06-23T06:34:25.192Z